used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
cheesenounUS /tʃiːz/
a solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
greatly pleased
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But this rapid progress did not keep up long.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
drillverbUS /drɪl/
make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
drillingnounUS /ˈdrɪlɪŋ/
the act of drilling
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
divisible by two
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
communicated in words
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
gimletnounUS /ˈɡɪmlet/
a cocktail made of gin or vodka and lime juice
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
the act of departing
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
inventionnounUS /ˌɪnˈvenʃən/
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading But this rapid progress did not keep up long.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading But this rapid progress did not keep up long.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
Ned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
newlyadverbUS /ˈnuːli/
very recently
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But this rapid progress did not keep up long.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
a judge of a probate court
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
outfitnounUS /ˈaʊtfɪt/
any cohesive unit such as a military company
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
perfectedadjectiveUS /pərˈfektɪd/
(of plans, ideas, etc.) perfectly formed
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
performancenounUS /pərˈfɔːrməns/
a dramatic or musical entertainment
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
with speed
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
TESTnounUS /test/
trying something to find out about it
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this rapid progress did not keep up long.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
Tom'snounUS /tɑːmz/
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But this rapid progress did not keep up long.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading But Tom’s newly perfected drill fairly ate its way through the soil, “like a gimlet going through a nice soft piece of cheese,” as Ned expressed it.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A TEST OF COURAGE AT FIRST the well went down rapidly.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were all delighted with the performance of the new invention, and promised themselves an early and successful strike.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The earth was soft and sandy near the surface, and with even an ordinary drilling outfit progress would have been fairly rapid.
